Yuna took one last look in the rearview mirror of her seafoam green VW Bug. Her long black hair still startled her, even though that was her original hair color. Used to 2 years of golden locks shot through with platinum highlights, she almost felt like a different person. If her hunch was right, everyone would probably think so too. She turned off her car and got out, heading toward the double doors of the school entrance. She shouldered her backpack, smoothing out her off shoulder cream colored knit top that was casually tucked into her fitted high-waisted black skirt.

True to her expectations, whispers started as soon as the click of her kitten heels announced her entrance. She walked through the parting crowd of curious students, head held high and facing forward with aloof confidence.

"Whoa I almost didn't recognize her!"

"It's Yuna Arhin!"

"What's she playing at this time?"

"I heard she was trying to act like Aurelia now."

"Why would she? Yuna's the most popular girl, she wouldn't have to emulate anyone, especially not Aurelia."

"Aurelia has brown hair though, not black like Yuna. So where's the similarities?"

"Well why else would she go from blonde to black over the weekend?"

Yuna sighed, grateful she'd kept her hair down to hide her burning cheeks and ears, not that it was too visible anyway. Although her skin was half kissed by her Chinese ancestors, her Ghanaian ancestors colored her skin to make a blush harder to detect, a perk that came in handy right now as the stares bored into her head.

"Yuna!"

Her heart picked up as the only welcome voice sounded above the din of whispers. She turned around, as did everyone else.

"He's so dreamy!"

"They're literally a storybook couple, I'm so jealous!"

The new object of the whispers jogged leisurely up to her, the crowd parting once again to make way. Yuna barely calmed herself down as Daniel Chao, Westchester High's star quarterback who led them to become state champions this year, grinned boyishly at her. She could never get enough of his dreamy good looks, and today was no different. He wore his varsity blue and white letterman jacket, the number "7" emblazoned on the left chest next to the state champions logo, and on the back along with his last name. Underneath was a black graphic tee and black jeans that offset his beautiful tanned olive skin. He ran a hand through his silky black hair, his sharp eyes turned up in crescents from his broad smile.

"Hey Yunie," he said when he finally reached her, putting an arm around her waist. He was always coming up with new variations of her name, and she loved each one.

Over the sound of her heart beating, Yuna smiled, walking into his embrace. "Hi, Niel."

As if oblivious to the blatant stares of people looking for a free show, Daniel chuckled at her nickname attempt. He ducked his head to plant a gentle kiss on Yuna's lips, a kiss that was over as soon as it began.

Butterflies invaded her stomach, and it was only through her years of careful practice that she was able to maintain her poise despite the excited whispers that ensued.

"I don't know why they always do this," Daniel said in a voice only she could hear, his ears tinged slightly pink.

"Beats me, but thankfully we're less than two months from graduation. We can hang in there," Yuna replied softly.

Daniel chuckled, taking her hand and walking with her to the first of only two classes they shared, AP English Lit. The crowd dispersing after the warning bell sounded, Yuna finally relaxed a little, her heart rate slowing to a more normal pace. The couple entered, walking to their usual places in the last row.

"Hey Yuna! I love your hair!" Leslie, a cheerleader said once Yuna walked to her seat and sat down next to Daniel.

Yuna smiled. "Thanks Leslie!"

"We're dying to know, Yun. Why'd you do it?" Anjali, another cheerleader, asked in open curiosity.

Yuna knew they only wanted to know in order to feed the school's rumor mill with piping hot gossip straight from the source. She maintained her smile as she played along, slipping back into her practiced façade of the confident cheer captain.

"The bleach was absolutely killing my hair. Stefan told me I needed to give it a rest if I still wanted to have hair by 30," she replied, her voice gaining a slightly peppy edge. That was part of the reason she dyed her hair black, but the main reason was simply that she was so close to graduation and getting tired of keeping up the persona she'd carefully crafted for the past few years.

"Oh em gee! Stefan told me the same thing at my last touch-up, but I literally can't give up the blonde, it's so me!" Leslie replied.

"Yeah I can tell from those fried ends. But it's really not healthy, how do I tell her that?" Yuna thought as the final bell sounded, putting her out of her social misery for an hour.

『••✎••』

After AP Lit ended, Daniel kissed Yuna on the cheek sweetly, confirming that they'd meet up for lunch at their usual table. Yuna, on a high from the anticipation of seeing Daniel again, almost didn't notice her surroundings as she practically floated to her next class. Of course, every dream needed a wake up call, and hers was in the form of a bump on her shoulder. Jarred back to reality, Yuna looked down in mild confusion. Titters and whispers sounded from inside the classroom and in the hallway. On the floor was a girl, 17 years old like Yuna. Her long hair was like smooth chocolate silk despite being feathered out on the floor. Her brown eyes behind her large black glasses were wide in fright as she looked up at Yuna.

Yuna frowned. She knew how this looked, despite what actually happened. After the past few months though, she knew no amount of explanation could ease the rumors that always rose up whenever the two crossed paths. Pushing down her feelings of suspicion, she held a hand out to Aurelia Nelson, the quiet studious girl who she had run into accidentally.

"Are you okay?" Yuna asked, feeling like she was playing a role as she said the same thing she said every single time this happened.

Aurelia didn't take her hand, instead getting up on her own and tucking her delicate alabaster fingers into the sleeves of her plain black hoodie after dusting herself off. She pushed her glasses up with one hand, looking down nervously as all eyes were on them.

"I- I'm okay," Aurelia said, her voice a whisper that somehow still carried. "I'm sorry for running into you, I'll get out of your way," she said before scurrying into the hallway where whispers intensified.

"Again? Yuna must really have it out for her."

"Poor Daniel, he's caught in the middle."

"Poor Daniel? You mean poor Aurelia! You saw what happened, Yuna could've moved aside but she stood there and practically body checked her."

"But Aurelia should've been looking where she was going, she's always got her head down and runs into Yuna like once a week."

"Yuna's acting like a typical cheer brat, secretly bullying Aurelia and making it look like she did it accidentally. It's the same cliché story."

"I'm not so sure…"

Yuna awkwardly retracted her hand with a sigh and walked to her seat, ignoring the whispers. Her phone pinged with the sound she set for her cheer group chat.

Leslie
Heard you knocked Aurelia down again @ Yuna. Can't she pick a different act?

Raven
I think that girl's a snake, we all know Yuna wouldn't do that

Anjali
Right, why would she bother with Aurelia? And we've all seen how Daniel looks at her, they're meant to be!

Yuna's heart warmed. Despite her uneasy feeling around Aurelia, she was grateful for the constant support her cheer team showed her from the time these unsavory rumors began flying. They were a gossipy bunch, but fiercely loyal to one another even if they weren't all friends with each other.

Yuna
Thanks for the support. I gotta go, see y'all at practice later

She silenced her phone just as the last bell sounded, noticing that Aurelia had slipped back into her seat at the front of the class. Putting it to the back of her mind Yuna took out her notebook and focused on the teacher.

The classes flew by until lunch. Yuna made a beeline for her usual table with the other cheerleaders and athletes. Spotting Daniel holding her seat, she smiled and sat next to him, kissing him lightly on the cheek.

"Hey Yuna!"

A chorus of welcomes sounded from the table when she sat down.

"We were just talking about what happened with you and Aurelia this morning," a volleyball player named Sadie told her.

Yuna felt uncomfortable again, but kept a cheerful smile. "It was an accident, I'm just going to leave it at that."

"Yeah," Daniel added, squeezing her hand under the table. "So let's talk about something else. Riley, did you catch the game last night?"

Yuna squeezed Daniel's hand back, grateful that he changed the subject to get attention away from her. He grinned and didn't let go of her hand, eating with his other hand as he smoothly carried the conversation. On her other side, Yuna chatted idly with the other cheerleaders and some of the other athletes.

Out of the corner of her eye, one of the cheerleaders noticed something and whispered to Yuna that Aurelia was staring enviously at their table. Yuna turned around. Aurelia had a small smile on her face, one that sent chills down Yuna's back.

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